Cloud9 Ventures Into Deadlock By Purchasing Melee Creeps

North American esports titan Cloud9 has officially stepped into the competitive Deadlock arena, acquiring the reigning North American juggernaut lineup known as Melee Creeps. Announced on November 9, 2026, via the organization’s newly launched @C9DLock social media channels, the Cloud9 venture into Deadlock brings an undefeated six-player roster and its existing support staff under one of gaming’s most recognizable banners.

For Cloud9, an organization founded in 2012 that famously became the first and only North American squad to capture a Counter-Strike Major title at ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, the signing marks a high-profile return to a Valve-developed title. After stepping back from Counter-Strike 2 in January 2025, Cloud9 spent 22 months without a presence in Valve’s competitive ecosystem before making its move into the 6v6 third-person hero-shooter MOBA hybrid.

Inside the Deal: One-Year Contracts and a Second Pitch

Rather than piecing together a speculative roster from free agency, Cloud9 opted to sign the entire active Melee Creeps lineup alongside its coaching and managerial structure. All six starting players have inked one-year salaried contracts with Cloud9, though specific salary figures remain undisclosed.

The acquisition is the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes interest. Cloud9 first approached the team around March 2026 to propose a co-branded sponsorship arrangement dubbed MLC x Cloud9 that centered heavily around former player and popular streamer eidorian. Melee Creeps turned down that initial sponsorship pitch, prompting Cloud9 to return later in the year with a full-scale organizational acquisition.

Beyond their tournament pedigree, the players offer immediate livestreaming reach for Cloud9. Trivon “Lomein” Pham has drawn peak concurrent viewership exceeding 2,000 viewers, while teammates Sobhan “AVG” Pirasteh and Isaiah “Saiah” Mendoza regularly attract peaks above 600 and up to 900 concurrent viewers, respectively.

Who Are Melee Creeps? A History of North American Dominance

To understand why Cloud9 chose this specific six-man unit, one has to look at the grassroots history of competitive Deadlock. Established in October and November 2024 as an independent, organization-less North American squad, Melee Creeps originally featured a lineup of Saiah, AVG, Braeden, CoolCheese, Opp, and Bam1. While roster turnover is common in pre-release esports scenes, Saiah remained the team’s anchor through multiple iterations, with JonJon joining the starting lineup in April 2025.

Melee Creeps quickly established themselves as the standard-bearers of North American Deadlock:

• Winning the First $10,000 Major Event: In October 2025, Melee Creeps captured the Trolli Open Night Shift Finals, the game’s inaugural $10,000 tournament, by sweeping Sneaky Golem 2-0 in the grand final.
• The Historic 18-Tournament Win Streak: After bringing in eidorian to replace LordNM, the team embarked on an unprecedented run in the weekly Deadlock Night Shift series, winning 18 consecutive tournaments from DLNS #12 through DLNS #29 before Floormen finally halted the streak at DLNS #30.
• Mid-2026 Rebuild and Undefeated Form: Following a stretch of turbulent results and summer 2026 departures that left Saiah and JonJon as the sole remaining members, the duo merged forces with four standouts from rival squad Poppers Pupils: Lomein, AVG, League, and Zeno. Since locking in this six-player configuration, the roster has gone completely undefeated in official matches and reeled off six consecutive Deadlock Night Shift titles.
• Over $54,000 in Career Prize Earnings: Across its two-year run in community and third-party tournaments, including titles at the Death Slam Invitational North America #3, the Team Inferno Cash Cup, and the Deadlocker Roster Royale, Melee Creeps amassed $54,657 in tournament winnings.

What Cloud9’s Arrival Means for Deadlock’s Competitive Future

Cloud9’s investment arrives at a pivotal juncture for Valve’s hybrid MOBA shooter. Although Deadlock has been in invite-only closed beta since August 2024 and recently rolled out its major City Never Sleeps update alongside Ranked Season 2, Valve has yet to announce an official release date or a developer-backed LAN circuit.

Earlier when we discussed the eSports future of Deadlock, one of the central questions surrounding the title was whether tier-one organizations would commit resources before an official tournament structure existed. That hesitation was underscored in 2025 when eastern European powerhouse Virtus.pro signed the European roster Buff Enjoyers in February 2025, only to withdraw from the scene in August 2025 despite the team winning roughly $31,700 in prize money.

However, momentum in North America is visibly shifting. Following the recent entry of fellow North American organization YFP (Your Favorite Player), Cloud9’s acquisition of the region’s undisputed number-one team signals growing organizational confidence in Deadlock‘s long-term trajectory. By securing a battle-tested, undefeated roster with built-in streaming viewership, Cloud9 has positioned itself at the forefront of the Cursed Apple well ahead of the game’s commercial launch.

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